Device and method for digitally watermarking an image with data

ABSTRACT

A method for digitally watermarking an image or video by replacing the least significant bit of each pixel of the image with data so that an image or video can be authenticated by removing the least significant bits, reassembling the bits into a data stream and decoding the data stream.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to watermarking a digital image,iris scan, retina scan, fingerprint image or other data, and morespecifically to embedding an image with data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Watermarking digital images is generally known in the art. Watermarkingis a steganographic encoding technique that allows one to hide datawithin a file in such a way that it is imperceptible to the casualobserver. It may be thought of as analogous to invisible ink. Codedimages are very good vehicles for this kind of hidden data transferbecause of the manner in which their information is stored, and becausethey are hidden within visual images where very minor color variancewould not be noticed.

However, with the help of advanced image editing software, digitalimages (and video) can be manipulated maliciously. Thus, it is essentialto be able to detect image manipulations, especially in the case ofauthenticating a photo taken by a police officer, for example, which isto be used in a court of law. However, if the watermarks are embedded inonly one or a small number of portions of the image, completeauthenticity of the image cannot be guaranteed. Further, traditionalwatermarks can themselves be altered to give the appearance that theimage has not been altered.

It is also very helpful to know who collected information or took thepictures/video, and when and where the actions were done in order tohave a verifiable record and chain of events.

No matter what the data is, be it a fingerprint, an iris scan, a digitalphoto, or a video clip, it is beneficial to know where the informationwas collected, when the information was collected and who collected theinformation. These questions allows the information to be easilyverified.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus fordigitally watermarking an image, or a video so that the watermark doesnot alter the appearance of the image and so that it can be detectedwhether any pixel of the image has been altered.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method andapparatus for creating a digital watermark that cannot itself be alteredwhich authenticates the time, date and place that the image was taken.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable handheldsecurity device capable of taking digital images and video and embeddinga watermark therein to verify the authenticity of the image or video oreven the watermark.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of encoding eachframe of a video with a continuous stream of data across each frame,where the data includes a running date and time in which the video wastaken.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of encoding eachframe of a video with a continuous stream of data across each frame,where the data includes a stream of data that might include suchinformation as who collected the information, where it was collected,when it was collected

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable handhelddevice having a camera for taking an image and an encoder for encodingthe image with GPS or other data. Such other data may include, but isnot limited to, a randomly generated number, a user's name and/oraddress, a subject's name and/or address, a social security number, anID number, a phone number, a voice print, a color coded series of dotsor other symbols, a message in Morse code (dots/dashes), a password(alpha-numeric digits), a singer's information, a song writer'sinformation, a publisher's information, a copyright symbol, anadvertising phrase, a fingerprint, an iris scan, other biometric dataincluding a retina scan, DNA information, and a blood type, a militaryID number, a vehicle identification number (VIN), a user ID number or aGSM SIM card number.

According to a further embodiment, any of the above described data canbe combined with GPS information of the location and time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the apparatus ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 a is a front view of an embodiment of the apparatus of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 b is a front view of an embodiment of the apparatus of thepresent invention showing the portability and handheld features of thepresent invention in use.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating the process of encoding an image witha digital watermark according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating the process of encoding an image witha digital watermark according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how the image data and the GPS data aremerged according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating how the digital watermark isauthenticated according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6A is a diagram of a camera according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6B is a diagram of another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to an embodiment of the invention, each pixel of an image canbe watermarked with data. This may be accomplished by encoding the leastsignificant bit of each pixel of the image with data. The data mayinclude, but is not limited to, a randomly generated number, a user'sname and/or address, a subject's name and/or address, a social securitynumber, an ID number, a phone number, a voice print, a color codedseries of dots or other symbols, a message in Morse code (dots/dashes),a password (alpha-numeric digits), a singer's information, a songwriter's information, a publisher's information, a copyright symbol, anadvertising phrase, a fingerprint, an iris scan, other biometric dataincluding a retina scan, DNA information, and a blood type, a militaryID number, a vehicle identification number (VIN), a user ID number or aGSM SIM card number.

A digital watermark is a piece of information that is hidden in mediacontent in such a way that it is imperceptible to observation but thatcan be easily detected by a computer. If a watermark is hidden in mediacontent for the purpose of authentication, it must be done in such a waythat alteration of the content either destroys the watermark or createsa mismatch between the content and the watermark that can be easilydetected.

Watermarking is a process that combines two pieces of information insuch a way that they can be independently detected by two differentdetection processes. One piece of information is the media data, such asmusic, a photograph, a fingerprint, an Iris scan or a movie which willbe viewed by a human observer. The other piece of information is awatermark, which will be detected by specially designed watermarkdetector.

Watermarking is possible because human perceptual processes discardsignificant amounts of data when processing media. According to apreferred embodiment of the invention, a watermark is hidden in animage, either still or in video format, by replacing the leastsignificant bit with a watermark pattern based on data received at thetime the image or video was taken. This not only allows the image to bewatermarked without altering the image itself, but allows the image tobe authenticated because the watermark contains known data.

As is well known in the art, an image can be stored as a series ofpixels encoded in the Red, Green, Blue (RGB) color space. When using a24-bit color palette, a 3-byte triplet will represent each pixel, with 8bits of information for each color plane. When looking at the entire24-bit color palette, the difference observed between two colors whenone flips the value of the least significant bit (or bits) of any of thebytes within the triplet is negligible. Therefore, one could alter theleast significant bites from a series of pixels without adverselyaffecting the image being observed. The same theory applies for alteringframes in a video. A CIF frame of video data contains 288 lines, eachcontaining 352 pixels, or a total of 101,376 pixels. In the RGB colorspace, this would amount to 304,128 bytes of data. If one were to usethe least significant bit of each byte for watermarking data, it wouldtake 3 pixels to hide a byte of data, plus one extra bit. This wouldallow for a theoretical maximum of 33,792 bytes of watermarking datahidden within a single frame of video data. 32 KB is a significantamount of information. If less data is required to be included, moreinvolved methodologies may be used to provide more security. This can beaccomplished by encrypting the data before it is inserted, or by using arandomizing algorithm to decide where to insert the data. For amonochrome picture, image or video, the watermark data could be embeddedin the least significant bit, as explained above. One of skill in theart will appreciate that there other methods that could be employed.

If there is less data inserted, the overall effect of the changes in thecolor palette are even less noticeable, even under more intensescrutiny. When observed with a standard image viewer, there should be nodiscernable differences between images with and without data inserted.Extraction of the information can be performed by an application, eithera viewer or an extraction tool that understands how and where the datawere hidden. This extraction tool can identify which bits hold thehidden information, and can extract that data and reassemble it, andperform any decryption necessary to reveal the original data.

In order to ensure that an image can be authenticated, the data used towatermark the image can be GPS data received from a GPS satellite. GPSsatellites broadcast three different types of data in the primarynavigation signal. The first is the almanac which sends coarse timeinformation along with status information about the satellites. Thesecond is the ephemeris, which contains orbital information that allowsthe receiver to calculate the position of the satellite. The satellitesalso broadcast two forms of clock information, the Coarse/Acquisitioncode, or C/A which is freely available to the public, and the restrictedPrecise code, or P-code, usually reserved for military applications.

In an alternative embodiment, as described above, other types of datacan be used to make the watermark. Biometric data is particularly usefulfor this, and can include fingerprint data obtained by a fingerprintscanner, retina information, iris information, DNA information, etc.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1, a portable handheld securitydevice (recording/capturing device) 10 of the present invention has acentral processing unit 12 that is ideally a mobile processing unit suchas an Intel® Pentium® mobile processor. The recording/capturing device10 also includes a memory storage device 14 in communication with thecentral processing unit 12. The memory storage device 14 ideallyincludes at least 512 mega bytes (MB) and up to 6 gigabytes (GB) of RAMand at least 20+ GB of hard drive or solid state memory, space as shown.The recording/capturing device 10 also includes a power supply 36preferably comprised of at least one battery packs, for powering therecording/capturing device 10 and all of its components. The batterypack(s) are ideally rechargeable batteries that can each providesufficient power to keep the recording/capturing device 10 operationalfor several hours at a time on a single charge. The battery pack(s) canalso preferably be “hot swapped” without shutting the device down.

The recording/capturing device 10 further includes an input device 16.The input device 16 ideally includes user-interface controls and touchscreen technology for manipulating the recording/capturing device 10 andinputting information into the recording/capturing device 10. The firstset of user-interface controls 22 and the second set of user-interfacecontrols 24 are selectively operable by users either independently orsimultaneously.

The recording/capturing device 10 may also include a video displayscreen 18 in communication with the central processing unit 12. Thevideo display screen is ideally between 5″ and 17.0″ display screen thatsupports touch screen technology. Touch screen technology, or a touchscreen display, allows a user to simply touch the video display screen18 to input information or otherwise manipulate the recording/capturingdevice 10. The video display screen 18 also preferably supports directfreehand drawing input, allowing a user to write or draw directly on thevideo display screen 18 to input information. For example, a user coulddraw a circle around an image displayed on the video display screen 18,and save the image, including the circle, for later use or distributionto others. Picture-in-picture display is preferably also supported bythe video display screen. The video display screen 18 is also ideallyreadable in any lighting condition, including sunlight, to facilitateboth indoor and outdoor use.

At least one camera 38 is also provided in communication with thecentral processing unit 12 for providing video capability for therecording/capturing device 10. Ideally, the recording/capturing device10 has at least one digital camera 38 and can capture both still imagesand video images up to and including full-motion video images. Thecameras can also record faces for face screening and also iris' andretinas' both for collection and verification.

The device may also have a fingerprint reader (not shown) to collectdigital fingerprint images, which can also be watermarked.

The full-motion video images ideally are captured at a rate of up to 30frames per second, and play back at variable frame rates. Panning,zooming, fast forward, reverse, normal play, and pause features are alsopreferably supported by the recording/capturing device 10. At least oneof the cameras 38 ideally can operate in various lighting conditions,such as low light and bright light, and at least one of the cameras canideally operate in normal and low light. Pictures taken in normal, lowand infrared light can either be mixed within the same full-motion videoimage, or the user can switch between the normal, low and infrared lightmodes as an image is being captured. Each camera ideally has a minimumof 0.5 mega pixels resolution, and up to 8 hours of full-motion videocan ideally be stored in the recording/capturing device 10. The videocapability of the present invention preferably also includes at least aMotion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) encoder and decoder 58, 60.

The recording/capturing device 10 also includes a transmitting device 26and a receiving device 28 in communication with the central processingunit 12. The transmitting and receiving devices 26, 28 can ideallysecurely transmit and receive information using wireless devices 30,such as radio frequency (RF) wireless network cards, or wired devices32, such as Ethernet cable connections. Many different wireless localarea networks (WLANs) can be used with the recording/capturing device10, including without limitation 802.11a/b/g/n, 802.11 “super g,”802.15.3a, Global System for Mobile Communications and General PacketRadio Service (GSM/GPRS), 3G, ultra wide band, Bluetooth™, radios andCDMA 1X. The recording/capturing device 10 also ideally supports 700 MHzand 4.9 GHz radio for voice and data transmission and receipt. Further,the recording/capturing device 10, using wireless devices 30, is ideallycapable of selecting between available communication network signals,determining which network signal is the best signal at a given time, andautomatically switching between the available signals to maintainoptimum reception and transmission quality. For example, therecording/capturing device 10 ideally has middleware that measures thereceived signal strength of the various network cards and can select thebest signal unless the user chooses to “lock in” a particular source. Ifthe recording/capturing device 10 starts using an RF wireless networkcard and encounters interference, it can seamlessly switch to anotherwireless transmission mode without the user knowing a change was made.The recording/capturing device 10 can also operate whether or not thetransmitting and receiving devices 26, 28 are enabled. In other words,the recording/capturing device 10 can also operate as a stand aloneunit. Preferably, when operating as a stand alone unit, therecording/capturing device 10 continues to look for wireless or wirednetworks with which it can authenticate. If such a network is located,the recording/capturing device 10 will preferably exchange pass codesand information with the corresponding network server to transition fromstand alone to network operation.

Many other devices and capabilities are also ideally included in therecording/capturing device 10 of the present invention. Audiocapability, including a sound producing device 40, such as speakers, anda sound recording device 42, such as a digital sound recorder includinga microphone, is preferably included. A global positioning system 44, amapping system 46, a biometric scanner 48 including a National Instituteof Standards and Technology (NIST) quality fingerprint sensor, a radiofrequency identification (RFID) interrogator and reader 50, a Bluetooth™RF link for headsets and printers 51, bar code reading capability 52, atleast one universal serial bus (USB) ports 53, an Ethernet port and asoftware authentication system 54 are also preferably provided in therecording/capturing device 10. In addition, the recording/capturingdevice 10 is preferably a complete personal computer (PC) that runs onMicrosoft® windows 2000, XP or Vista or Linux operating systems andsupports voice, data, video conferencing, email, Microsoft®Office®files, any software that operates under or over Microsoft® operatingsystem, forms generation, and document scanning. It should beunderstood, however, that the recording/capturing device 10 of thepresent invention can be configured to run on any operating systemincluding Linux, MacOS, Solaris and Unix.

All of the above-described features of the present invention are ideallycontained in a lightweight, handheld housing 56 that is durable enoughto meet Military Standard 801F, waterproof, and able to withstandvirtually all weather conditions and climates with an operatingtemperature range of −30 to +50° Celsius. The entire recording/capturingdevice 10 is also ideally very lightweight, preferably between 1.5 and 6pounds including the battery. The handheld, lightweight, wirelessrecording/capturing device 10 can easily be carried and operated usingone or both hands, as shown in FIG. 2 b. The recording/capturing device10 can be easily carried and used by personnel in, for example,transportation security, transportation operations, corporate security,education security, first responder organizations, government agencies,the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

The device of the present invention can be used in a number of ways andfor a number of purposes. An example of one such purpose relates tocapturing images and video which can be easily authenticated.

The cameras 38 may be used to digitally capture an image or a stream ofimages in the form of video. At the same time, the global positioningsystem (GPS) 44 may receive a signal from the GPS satellites 100. Otherdata may also be received as shown in FIG. 3B. As shown in FIG. 3A, thecamera 38 is used to take a picture or a video. At a time X, picturedata is generated which includes a plurality of pixels depending on theresolution of the image and GPS data is generated which corresponds to areceived GPS signal. The GPS data may be encrypted 320 prior to beingmerged with the image data, or the GPS data may be directly merged withthe image data at 330. At 340, the watermarked image is generated. Themethod of merging the GPS data, either encrypted or unencrypted with theimage data will be explained with reference to FIG. 4.

As seen in FIG. 3B, in an alternative embodiment, data which is to beused to watermark the image may come from sources other than GPS data.For example, input data 304 may be input via a keyboard 301. The inputdata 304 would then be encrypted by the encryption device 320. Data mayalso be received from a retina scanner 302 or a fingerprint scanner 301.

FIG. 4 illustrates a digital image which is divided into a plurality ofpixels depending on the resolution of the image. As explained above,each pixel contains 8 bits. The GPS data contains N number of bits ofinformation. When the image data and the GPS data are merged, each leastsignificant bit (LSB) is replaced by a bit of the GPS data, the firstbit of the GPS data replaces the LSB of the first pixel. Then, thesecond bit of the GPS data replaces the LSB of the second pixel, and soon until the Nth bit of the GPS data has been placed in a LSB of a pixelof the image. The GPS data is then repeated in the remaining pixelsuntil all of the pixels of the image have had their LSB's replaced witha bit of the GPS data. It should be understood that the GPS data can beencrypted prior to being merged with the image data. Further, the GPSdata can be dispersed throughout the pixels of the image in an encryptedfashion. It should be understood that this process may also be carriedout using data other than GPS data, as described above.

It should also be understood that each frame of a video may bewatermarked in a similar fashion. Further, one row of each frame of thevideo, preferably the last row of pixels, may contain an encoded runningtime clock. In other words, the least significant bits of one of therows of pixels may contain the time the frame was shot so that if aframe is removed, it will be easily detected by decoding that row ofpixels. It should also be understood that each frame of a video may bewatermarked in a similar fashion. Further, one row of each frame of thevideo, preferably the last row of pixels, may contain an encoded runningtime clock. In other words, the least significant bits of one of therows of pixels may contain the time the frame was shot so that if aframe is removed, it will be easily detected by decoding that row ofpixels.

It should also be understood that each frame of a fingerprint, or Irisor retina captured images may be watermarked in a similar fashion.Further, each image can be watermarked in a similar manner, preferablythe last row of pixels, may contain an encoded running time clock. Inother words, the least significant bits of one of the rows of pixels maycontain the time the frame was shot so that if a frame is removed, itwill be easily detected by decoding that row of pixels.

Once an image has been watermarked with GPS or other data, a video orimage may be authenticated as shown in FIG. 5. Authenticating a video orimage may be performed by the hand-held security device itself, or aseparate device (not shown) which contains decoding software to decodethe watermark.

Referring to FIG. 5, at 500 the image or video is received. This mayentail transferring the image data to another device, or merely loadingthe stored image data in the hand-held security device. At 510, theimage data is decoded into pixel data, where each pixel of the image isexpressed in terms of a “0” or a “1”. At 520, the LSB of each pixel isremoved. Each LSB is assembled at 530 and then decoded at 540. Once theLSB's are decoded, the image or video can be authenticated because theoriginal GPS or other data will be repeated throughout the image. If aportion of the GPS or other embedded data is missing, it will be evidentthat a portion of the image was modified and the authentication processwill fail.

In an alternative embodiment, a stand-alone digital camera may includeat least a receiver capable of receiving GPS signals and a processorcapable of capturing digital images and embedding a digital watermarkcontaining received GPS data, as discussed above. For example, as shownin FIG. 6 a, a camera 600 may include a built in GPS receiver 610 orhave a connector 601 that allows a stand-alone GPS unit 602 to beattached to the camera 600. The operation of the process of replacingthe LSB of each pixel of an image is the same as discussed above.

FIG. 6 b illustrates an example of how the camera 600 having a lens 620would capture an image 650 and a digital signal processor 630 wouldprocess the image with the received input data and store the resultingwatermarked image in the memory 640.

While the invention has been described with reference to preferredembodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not intendedto be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above. It isrecognized that those skilled in the art will appreciate certainsubstitutions, alterations, modifications, and omissions may be madewithout parting from the spirit or intent of the invention. Accordingly,the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary only, the inventionis to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subjectmatter of the invention, and should not limit the scope of theinvention.

1. A method of encoding a watermark in an image, comprising: capturingimage data; capturing data; and replacing a least significant bit ofeach pixel of the image data with the data.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the data is encrypted prior to replacing the least significantbit of each pixel.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image data maycomprise multiple frames of video.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein atime in which the video frame was captured is encoded in the leastsignificant bit of each pixel in a row of pixels in the frame.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein each frame of the video contains an encodedstream of time.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein successive bits of thedata are placed in successive least significant bits of each pixel ofthe image data.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is encryptedand placed bit by bit in random least significant bits of each pixel ofthe image data according to an encryption scheme.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the watermark is detected and authenticated by decoding theimage data created by replacing the least significant bits of each pixelwith the data into pixels, removing the least significant bits of eachpixel, assembling the least significant bits together, decoding theassembled least significant bits and verifying the resulting datastream.
 9. A device comprising: a central processing unit; a memorystorage device; at least one camera capable of capturing digital images;an input device capable of inputting data; and an encryption device,wherein image data captured by the at least one camera may be digitallywatermarked with data.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the digitalwatermark is created by replacing a least significant bit of each pixelof the captured image with data corresponding to received data which isreceived at the time the image is captured.
 11. The device of claim 10,wherein the data is encrypted prior to being encoded in the image. 12.The device of claim 10, wherein the data is placed in the leastsignificant bits of each pixel according to an encryption scheme. 13.The method of claim 9, wherein the image data may comprise multipleframes of video.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein a time in which thevideo frame was captured is encoded in the least significant bit of eachpixel in a row of pixels in the frame.
 15. The device of claim 14,wherein each frame of the video contains an encoded stream of time. 16.The device of claim 9, wherein the watermark is detected andauthenticated by decoding the image data created by replacing the leastsignificant bits of each pixel with the data into pixels, removing theleast significant bits of each pixel, assembling the least significantbits together, decoding the assembled least significant bits andverifying the resulting data stream.
 17. A system for encoding anddecoding a digital watermark in an image to verify its authenticity,comprising: a camera for capturing a digital image; an input device forinputting data; a processor for replacing a least significant bit ofeach pixel of the digital image with a bit of data from the input data;and a processor for assembling each encoded least significant bit anddecoding the assembled data, wherein the processor compares theassembled data with the input data.
 18. The system of claim 17, whereinthe digital image comprises a plurality of video frames.
 19. The systemof claim 18, wherein each frame of the plurality of video frames isfurther encoded with a stream of data representing a time when the videoframe was captured.
 20. A camera comprising: a biometric sensor forprocessing biometric data; a processor for processing captured imagedata; and a memory for storing a processed image, wherein the image datais processed by replacing a least significant bit of each pixel of theimage data with biometric data.
 21. The camera of claim 20, wherein thebiometric scanner is configured to obtain at least one of fingerprintinformation, DNA information, retina information and iris information.22. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes at least one of auser's name and/or address, a subject's name and/or address, a socialsecurity number, an ID number, a phone number, a voice print, a colorcoded series of dots or other symbols, a message in Morse code(dots/dashes), a password (alpha-numeric digits), a singer'sinformation, a song writer's information, a publisher's information, acopyright symbol, an advertising phrase, a fingerprint, an iris scan,other biometric data including a retina scan, DNA information, and ablood type, a military ID number, a vehicle identification number (VIN),a user ID number and a GSM SIM card number.
 23. A method of encoding awatermark in an image, comprising: performing a biometric scan; storingimage data corresponding to the biometric scan; capturing watermarkdata; and replacing a least significant bit of each pixel of the imagedata with the watermark data.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein thedata is encrypted prior to replacing the least significant bit of eachpixel.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein successive bits of the dataare placed in successive least significant bits of each pixel of theimage data.
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein the data is encryptedand placed bit by bit in random least significant bits of each pixel ofthe image data according to an encryption scheme.
 27. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the watermark is detected and authenticated bydecoding the image data created by replacing the least significant bitsof each pixel with the data into pixels, removing the least significantbits of each pixel, assembling the least significant bits together,decoding the assembled least significant bits and verifying theresulting data stream.
 28. The method of claim 23, wherein the biometricscan is performed on at least one of an iris, a retina and afingerprint.
 29. The method of claim 23, wherein the biometric scan isof a facial image.
 30. The method of claim 23, wherein the watermarkdata includes GPS data.
 31. A method of encoding a watermark in animage, comprising: performing a biometric scan; storing image datacorresponding to the biometric scan; capturing a GPS signal; andreplacing a least significant bit of each pixel of the image data withGPS data.
 32. A device comprising: a biometric scanner capable ofscanning at least one of an iris, a retina, a fingerprint and a facialimage; a memory storage device for storing image data corresponding toan image scanned by the biometric scanner; a receiving device capable ofreceiving a GPS signal; and an input device, wherein the image scannedby the biometric scanner is digitally watermarked with GPS datacorresponding to the GPS signal.
 33. The device of claim 32, furthercomprising: a camera for capturing a digital image of at least one of aface or an iris.
 34. The device of claim 32, wherein the digitalwatermark is created by replacing a least significant bit of each pixelof the stored image data with the GPS data which is received at the timethe image was scanned.
 35. The device of claim 33, wherein the data isencrypted prior to being encoded in the image.
 36. The device of claim33, wherein the data is placed in the least significant bits of eachpixel of the scanned image according to an encryption scheme.
 37. Thedevice of claim 33, wherein the watermark is detected and authenticatedby decoding the image data created by replacing the least significantbits of each pixel with the data into pixels, removing the leastsignificant bits of each pixel, assembling the least significant bitstogether, decoding the assembled least significant bits and verifyingthe resulting data stream.
 38. A system for encoding and decoding adigital watermark in a biometric image to verify its authenticity,comprising: a biometric scanner for capturing a digital image of atleast one of an iris, a retina, a face and a fingerprint; an inputdevice for inputting data; a processor for replacing a least significantbit of each pixel of the digital image with a bit of data from the inputdata; and a processor for assembling each encoded least significant bitand decoding the assembled data, wherein the processor compares theassembled data with the input data.
 39. The system of claim 38, whereinthe input data corresponds to a received GPS signal.
 40. The system ofclaim 38, wherein the data includes at least one of a user's name and/oraddress, a subject's name and/or address, a social security number, anID number, a phone number, a voice print, a color coded series of dotsor other symbols, a message in Morse code (dots/dashes), a password(alpha-numeric digits), a singer's information, a song writer'sinformation, a publisher's information, a copyright symbol, anadvertising phrase, a fingerprint, an iris scan, other biometric dataincluding a retina scan, DNA information, and a blood type, a militaryID number, a vehicle identification number (VIN), a user ID number and aGSM SIM card number.